A.N: This is 5 years into the future (so 2026). The character's ages are as follows.
Nya: 22 (9/25/04)
Harumi: 23 (2/11/03)
Lloyd: 24 (5/17/02)
Jay: 23 (11/10/03)
Cole: 26 (3/17/00)
Mika: 5 (2/11/22)
Ultraviolet: 26 (1/6/00) *great day in American history*. (in all seriousness it was a hateful day)
Rebecca: 25 (12/3/01)
Crystal: 7 (almost 8) (12/31/18)
Skylor: 25 (5/31/01)
Kai: 26 (just for reference) (12/30/00)
*this chapters gonna be hella short but it's directly after.*
*Trigger warning for this chapter: Gun violence*
*This will probably be my more gruesome chapter yet*
"Ms. Chen, we regret to inform you that your boyfriend, Kai Smith, has died. His death was ultimately a result of blood loss and bodily injury. We are so sorry."
Skylor hung up and dropped the phone.
"No!" Skylor fell to the floor and started crying hysterically.
Nya ran over and hugged her.
"It's ok, Skylor. You have got this. It's ok, it's ok..."
5 years later...
Skylor applied her makeup as she got ready to take her daughter to school.
Her daughter...
It hurt Skylor to even think Kai was gone. But, she had to be strong for her daughter, for Mika.
"Mommy, are you ready?" Mika asked Skylor.
Skylor wiped her eyes.
"Yes, Mika."
A lot had happened in 5 years. Crystal was now 7 years old, about to be 8. Jay and Nya were engaged. Harumi and Lloyd were pregnant with baby number 2. (This time, planned.) Cole had a boyfriend. And Mika was in kindergarten.
Cole was like a father in Mika's life. Even though Cole is gay, and doesn't have any biological children, he sees Mika as his own and raises her alongside Skylor. Lloyd, Harumi, Jay, and Nya all pitch in.
Skylor picked Mika up.
"Alright, let's get you to the car," Skylor said to Mika, smiling.
Skylor took Mika out to the car and buckled her in her seat.
"Mika, I have to go now," Skylor said as Mika tugged at her shirt.
"NOOOOOO!"
"Mika-"
"STAY WITH MEEEE!" Mika started crying.
Harumi came over with Crystal.
"Mika, Crystal wants to play on the playground," Harumi said, smiling.
"Crystal!" Mika ran to Crystal and they ran to the playground.
"Thank you." Skylor signed.
"No problem. Crystal had the same problem in kindergarten, with Lloyd and I both."
"How did you deal with it?"
"Usually the teacher would take her inside and we would come midday to check on her," Harumi replied.
"Maybe I'll try that. Congrats on baby number 2!" Skylor said.
"Thank you! Lloyd and I are excited." Harumi replied.
"Hey honey, I'm home," Harumi said to Lloyd.
"Hey, babe. How was it dropping Crystal off?" Lloyd asked his fiancee.
"Good! I ran into Skylor because Mika was begging her not to go." Harumi laughed.
"Probably separation anxiety. Lots of kids get it." Lloyd replied.
"True. Crystal had it."
Both people laughed.
"It's been hard for Skylor these last few years, you know?" Harumi said to Lloyd.
"Yeah. It must be hard losing the person you love."
"Yeah. I just hope she's ok."
Meanwhile, with Jay and Nya, they were both making wedding preparations.
"Nya, do you want a large group of people or a small group?" Jay asked his fiancee.
"Probably somewhere in-between. Just friends and family."
"Church or elsewhere?"
"Church. It's always been my dream to get married in a sacred place like a church."
"White dress or not?"
Nya thought for a second.
"Long white dress, with our family veil. It's been passed down for generations."
Jay wrote all this down.
"All I have to do now is send this off to the planner," Jay said, smiling.
"Isn't there more though?" Nya asked.
"Yes, but these are just the first basic steps. Like where we want it, what clothing items we prefer so we can get them and size them, gathering numbers, stuff like that."
Nya decided it was time to ask the big question. They were getting married, after all.
"Jay?" Nya asked.
"Yes, honey?"
"Are you ok with the fact that we haven't had sex yet?"
It was true. Jay and Nya had been dating for about 8 years, and no sexual activity had happened. Not even oral sex. And, it should be noted that Jay was not a virgin. (No, he didn't cheat on Nya. He was just with someone else).
Jay held her hand.
"Nya, I want us to do it when you are ready to do it, not because you feel pressured. What happened to you was traumatic. It takes time to recover from that. So, yes, I am ok with nothing sexual. We could be old, and in our 70's by the time you want to have sex and I would still support you. It's like what you said 5 years ago- just because we together does not mean I have a right to your body."
Nya put her head in his lap.
"But don't you want to have sex?"
"Technically yes, but I don't want to pressure you or make you do things you are not comfortable with. Love isn't about sex, it's about connection. And, Nya, I feel connected to you as a person, not your body. And I love you for who you are, not what your body looks like."
Nya looked up at him.
"I love you, Jay."
"I love you too, Nya."
Then they kissed.
"Alright, who can count to 15?" Mika's teacher, Mr. Ross asked the class.
About a dozen kindergarteners raised their hands, including Mika.
"How about... Mika." Mr. Ross said.
Mika stood up and addressed the class.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5..."
Mika continued to 15.
Once Mika was done, the class applauded her.
"Good job, Mika!" The teacher applauded her.
As the day progressed, Crystal and her friend Charlotte talked a lot.
Suddenly, Charlotte said something to Crystal that didn't make sense.
"Wanna know why we have lockdown drills?"
Crystal was taken aback.
"To, to hide from monsters."
"Yes, but what type of monster?" Charlotte said, mischievously
"I- I don't know."
"School shooters. That's the monster we hide from when we get into the cubbies and don't say a word."
"But I thought we get under our desks."
"No silly, that's an earthquake drill. An active shooting drill is where we hide and do not make a sound."
"Charlotte, why are you talking to me about this?" Crystal asked.
"Because my brother has a gun, and he said he wants to shoot up a school with it."
Crystal started to get scared.
"When?"
"Last night on the phone. He said he would do it today at his sister's school. Said he would leave me and you alone though. Avoid our classroom."
"Do your parents know?"
"No. They wouldn't care anyway. He's like 20 and he lives under our roof."
Crystal started asking Charlotte more questions.
"What else did he say?"
"Stuff like his goal is 25 people, how he would ensure they were dead by shooting multiple times, stuff like that."
"Where did he get a gun?"
"For his birthday. It's an AK-47 and he also has an AR-15. Said he would use both."
Suddenly, the recess bell rang.
Crystal walked back to class, fearing for her life, and Mikas as well. She said a quick prayer.
When Crystal got back to class, she sat down at her desk and started to do her work.
About an hour later, at 2:15, the class started rehearsing their thanksgiving play.
Crystal started to wonder if Charlotte was just lying to scare her.
Once a kid named Brady finished his scene, the class started applauding him.
What they didn't hear during applause was the sound of gunshots ringing out in the kindergarten hall.
Mika's class heard the shots. Their teacher got up and locked the door. He also turned off the lights.
"Not a word." He said as he rushed all the kids to the corner.
The kids tried to obey but started crying.
The shooter shot some more, and there was screaming out in the halls. Mika could hear the sound of people's bodies falling to the floor.
What was scary was Mika had never had to hide in the corner before, from the bad guys. The monsters.
Suddenly, without warning, the shooter broke into their classroom and started shooting into their classroom.
The kids started screaming, and Mika got behind the desk that was nearby so the shooter couldn't see her.
Slowly, some of the screams stopped and Mika saw red on the floor.
When the shooter was gone, Mika emerged from her hiding spot.
Crystals teacher heard and ordered the class to stop applause. They heard more gunshots, followed by screaming and crying.
"Kids, get into the cubbies right now!" Mrs. Wilson said as she turned off the lights and hushed the kids.
Mrs. Wilson put the black cover over the door and locked it. She closed the blinds and went over to the cubbies.
The kids heard more gunshots, followed by more screaming and crying. One kid was hysterical, while another was not crying at all. Crystal just sat.
One gunshot was frighteningly close to the door, and a bloodcurdling scream was let out from the next classroom.
The kids tried to be quiet, but they all started crying, including the teacher.
Suddenly, the shooter tried their door. He wasn't successful until he shot through it.
The door opened, and there he was. Charlotte's brother.
Mika was horrified to see 7 of her 21 classmates on the floor, and her teacher on the ground.
Her other classmates looked around. They all started talking at once after Patricia, a girl in their class, closed the door.
"Is he gone?"
"What happened?"
"I want my mommies!"
"We need to leave!"
Mika just sat, trying to understand what had happened.
She was even more horrified to see her best friend, Spencer, lying in a pool of blood.
"No.." Mika started crying.
Even as a kindergartener, she was smart enough to understand what has happened.
7 of her classmates were dead.
Charlotte's brother just stood there. He didn't leave, but he didn't shoot either.
Charlotte saw him and got up.
"Charlotte, no! Mrs. Wilson got up.
"It's ok, Mrs. Wilson. He's my brother."
Charlotte approached her brother.
"Aaron, put the gun down," Charlotte asked her brother.
"I can't Charlotte. However, I didn't realize this was your class. I'll move on."
Charlotte grabbed her brother's arm.
"Aaron, please. Put the gun down."
Aaron didn't listen.
Crystal got up, despite her classes pleas not to.
"Aaron, for me. Please."
Aaron looked at the royal family's daughter.
"Crystal, I need to."
Charlotte started crying.
"Aaron, what's that supposed to mean?" Charlotte asked him.
"Charlotte, I love you."
Then he shot the gun.
Aaron fell to the floor. Charlotte and Crystal screamed.
Then, all they saw was red.
By now, law enforcement, first responders, and paramedics were rushing to the school.
"Remember, our job is to take down the shooter, then help the injured." One police officer said.
"Order taken."
They rushed into the school.
Once the officers got to the classrooms, they started evacuating them.
Eventually, an officer arrived at Mika and Crystal's classrooms.
"I am a police officer. I'm here to help you." The officer said.
The kids lined up, per the officer's orders. Then, they started walking outside the school.
"Do not look down, left, right, or up. Look straight and do not stop walking. Keep your hands on your head at all times. Do not speak a word."
Of course, the kids looked down and around the hall.
They saw at least 15 bodies in the hall alone.
"Keep walking." The officer told them.
The kids kept walking and once they got outside, they ran to the playground, where crowds of parents were waiting.
Crystal and Mika started looking for their parents but found each other instead.
"Mika!"
"Crystal!"
The two hugged and exchanged conversation.
"Are you hurt?" Crystal asked Mika.
"No. Are you?"
"No."
The two talked for another 20 minutes before looking for their parents.
Meanwhile, Harumi, Lloyd, and Skylor were all looking for their kids.
Harumi was hysterical.
"What if she's not ok, Lloyd?"
Lloyd felt like crying, but he tried to be strong for Harumi. He put an arm around her shoulder.
"She will be."
Skylor was sobbing.
Suddenly, Skylor heard one word that changed her entire mood.
"Mommy!"
Mika jumped into Skylors arms and hugged her. Crystal had gotten separated from Mika and was looking for someone she knew.
"Mommy, I was so scared. Spencer- he got shot." Mika started crying into her mom's shoulder.
"I know, Mika. The important thing is you are safe."
Harumi and Lloyd were happy for Skylor, but now more terrified than ever. Crystal would be with her, right?
Meanwhile, Crystal was looking around when a police officer with blonde hair and blue eyes found her.
"Little girl, are you ok?"
Crystal looked up at the officer.
"I'm officer Anderson. I work with Ninjago City Police Department. Are you lost?"
Crystal started crying.
"I'm looking for my mommy and daddy."
The officer held her hand.
"Why don't I help you find them?"
Crystal nodded.
"What's your name?"
"Crystal. Crystal Anesthesia Carter."
Officer Anderson looked forward, but the last name stuck with him.
Carter...
Officer Anderson started walking Crystal around the playground.
"See them?"
Crystal shook her head.
"No."
The officer walked her to the outskirts of the playground, where she finally saw her parents.
"There! I see them!" Crystal pointed to her mom and dad.
The officer walked Crystal over to them.
"Crystal!" Harumi and Lloyd shouted at the same time and hugged her.
"We were so worried!" Harumi said through tears.
"We thought you were hurt!" Lloyd hugged her tight.
"I found you because of that nice officer." Crystal pointed to the officer.
Harumi looked at him, then went white.
"Officer, we can't thank you enough," Lloyd said, seeing Harumi's face. He had no idea he was looking at Ryan Anderson.
"Lloyd!" Harumi nudged his side.
"Yes, sweetie?"
Harumi made a gesture.
"That's Ryan. Ryan Anderson."
Lloyd looked at him again and also went white. He grabbed Harumi's hand and picked up Crystal.
"Let me speak to him," Harumi said to Lloyd.
"No Absolutely not."
"I have before."
"Yeah, when there were bars and chains between you. Now he's free and works in law enforcement!"
Harumi walked over to Ryan.
"Can we have a word?"
"Absolutely, Ms. Carter."
It is not entirely clear what Harumi said to this day. Let's just say Lloyd saw them talk, and Harumi was surprisingly calm and collected. After, the family went home, and Crystal and Mika were both pulled out of that school and were placed in private school.
The next chapter will be a follow-up to this one, with little to no action. I apologize for this morbid chapter, but there was a reason I made this chapter.
In Oxford, Michigan, a 15-year-old boy shot and killed 4 students at Oxford High School. There were signs he was going to carry out a despicable plan such as this, and the school did almost nothing. They saw concerning internet searches, heard phrases he said, and even a drawing he made with people gunned down and bleeding, with the note being "The thoughts won't stop. Help me."
On November 30, 2021, when the school called the parents due to the drawing, the parents and school did not even search his backpack. He went back to class. He didn't even go home. Then, later that day, he killed 4 kids. Kids as young as 14.
Those kids had lives to live. They had their entire FUTURE ahead of them. They had scholarship offers, band programs, sports teams, and clubs they were apart of. They would get married if they desired marriage, and have kids if they desired kids. Now, they cannot experience that. All because the school failed to protect the student's safety, and because of that horrible person.
The school even advised parents MULTIPLE times the school was safe. Think about all of what I just said for a minute.
In 2021, over 44,000 people in the U.S (where I live) have been killed by guns, and over 39,000 have been injured. More than 20,000 were shootings. More than 23,000 were suicide. In addition, over 300 children (ages 0-11) were killed. Over 1,000 teenagers (ages 12-17). And don't even get me started on the number of injuries. No major gun control law or bill has been passed in two decades.
44,000 is the number the media and press gives you. But considering how many didn't make headlines and/or didn't get reported or investigated, I'm willing to bet the actual number is triple or even quadruple that...?
2021 has been the worst year in 7 years for gun violence. In 2014-2020, the number of deaths in the U.S was around 13,000-19,000 at the most. This year, there have been over 44,000 deaths. That is triple as much. Think about that.
Let me be VERY clear: I am not against the second amendment, nor am I against guns. I am against gun violence. The second amendment gives U.S citizens the right to bear arms. Arms meaning guns. A VERY common misconception about liberals is we want to ban all guns. That could not be further from the truth. We don't want to take away your guns. We just want stricter background checks, minimum age, and a permit to own a gun, and bans on CERTAIN guns. Guns that are made for killing and nobody needs. If your guns are for self-defense and hunting, AS YOU CLAIM, and you really are a responsible gun owner, those things should not affect you.
I personally, do not hunt. I know people who do. People in my family also hunt. And I do respect their choice to have a gun. Because their gun is not made for killing and it is legitimately used for hunting and self-defense. They also do a good job of locking it up.
If you have a gun, I STRONGLY URGE you to LOCK. IT. UP. ESPECIALLY if you have children or have younger people in your family. By locking it up, I do not mean stashed in a drawer somewhere. I mean in a safe, not loaded. And away from small children.
On Thanksgiving of this year, a 5-year-old got his hands on a gun and he accidentally shot his 6-year-old cousin. It was totally an accident, but it also could have been totally prevented if the owner of the gun had locked it up, unloaded, and not put it in a drawer.
All guns also have a safety feature. If you activate the safety, the gun will not fire. I also urge you to activate the safety when you are not using it. That would prevent MANY injuries and fatalities every year.
Let us hope and pray 2022 will be better, for LGBTQ rights, Black Lives Matter, trans rights, gun control, Stop Asian Hate, rape and suicide prevention, abortion rights, women rights, and especially COVID-19.
I am sorry for the vent. Expect a new story soon.
Merry Christmas!
P.S: Even though Kim Potter was convicted, that does not mean we stop fighting (no rioting please!). Black lives still matter and always have. Black Lives Matter. Period. End of discussion. Do not say All Lives Matter. If you have questions you can always message me.
-Supergirl901 (any pronouns)